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Sen. Wyden: Dozens of Treasury email accounts breached in SolarWinds hack

Photo: Alastair Pike/AFP via Getty

Hackers who infiltrated government networks in the SolarWinds cyberattack compromised "dozens of email accounts" in the Treasury, Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) said Monday.

Why it matters: The monthslong cyberattack impacted a range of companies and government agencies and has prompted outrage in Washington D.C. as officials try to get to the bottom of what happened. The Treasury has not yet been able to ascertain what information, if any, was stolen, per Wyden.

The big picture: The breach that began in July "appears to be significant," Wyden said in an emailed statement. Perpetrators broke into systems in the Departmental Offices division of Treasury, which comprises the department’s highest-ranking officials, according to Wyden.

  • There is no evidence the hack impacted the IRS or taxpayer data, but the “full depth” of the attack is not known.
  • "Finally, after years of government officials advocating for encryption backdoors, and ignoring warnings from cybersecurity experts who said that that encryption keys become irresistible targets for hackers, the USG has now suffered a breach that seems to involve skilled hackers stealing encryption keys from USG servers," Wyden said.

Of note: Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told CNBC, "The good news is there's been no damage, nor have we seen any large amounts of information displaced."

  • The Treasury is working with the National Security Council and Intel agencies to address the breach, Mnuchin said.
  • The Treasury did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment.

Go deeper

Zach Dorfman of the Aspen Institute, author of Codebook
Jan 6, 2021 - Politics & Policy

Russia’s SolarWinds hackers likely burrowed deep

Illustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios

Russian cyber operators are almost certainly still rummaging through U.S. networks, potentially lifting data or setting traps for future havoc even as officials scramble to assess the damage Moscow's hack has already dealt.

Why it matters: The hack, powered by malicious code inserted into an update of SolarWinds network management software, could be among the most significant in the country’s history, perhaps on par with China’s hack of the Office of Personnel Management or Russia’s 2014 hack of the State Department.

Go deeper (2 min. read)Arrow
Hans Nichols, author of Sneak Peek
7 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Biden's latest executive order: Buy American

President Joe R. Biden speaks about the economy before signing executive orders in the State Dining Room at the White House on Friday, Jan 22, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

President Joe Biden will continue his flurry of executive orders on Monday, signing a new directive to require the federal government to “buy American” for products and services.

Why it matters: The executive action is yet another attempt by Biden to accomplish goals administratively without waiting for the backing of Congress. The new order echoes Biden's $400 billion campaign pledge to increase government purchases of American goods.

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow
Margaret Harding McGill, Ashley Gold
1 hour ago - Technology

Tech digs in for long domestic terror fight

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

With domestic extremist networks scrambling to regroup online, experts fear the next attack could come from a radicalized individual — much harder than coordinated mass events for law enforcement and platforms to detect or deter.

The big picture: Companies like Facebook and Twitter stepped up enforcement and their conversations with law enforcement ahead of Inauguration Day. But they'll be tested as the threat rises that impatient lone-wolf attackers will lash out.

Go deeper (2 min. read)Arrow